U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski, one of the rising conservative women political leaders in Washington, Wednesday criticized the big government solutions laid out by President Barack Obama in his State of the Union address.

In an interview with Newsmax TV, Walorski said she was hoping to hear the president mention specific initiatives that would help her constituents, who are struggling amidst a rise in food and energy prices and a lack of good-paying jobs.

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“Unfortunately, President Obama’s message was a kind of ‘more of the same’ message. He wants to do this, this, and this and for the government to run this, this, and this and says it’s not going to cost us a dime,” the freshman congresswoman from Indiana said. “Well, we’re sitting at a $16 trillion deficit.”

Walorski criticized the president’s economic policies, saying he wants to destroy the nation’s economy and stifle job opportunities by raising taxes. She said both Obama and the Senate will have to become more engaged in the legislative process for the economy to improve.

“We had alternatives to give to the president for the last couple of years in the House. We cannot continue to run a one-sided operation in Congress where the House continues to manufacture solutions and the Senate is not engaged,” she said. “I was hoping the president would bring the Senate to the table last night, but that didn’t happen either.”

Walorski, who sits on both the House Armed Services and Budget Committees, is also worried that the proposed cuts that are part of sequestration will not only cost tens of thousands of American jobs, but also put the military and even the country in jeopardy.

“I (prefer) a much more rational approach to this that basically says let’s delay this by a year and pay for it by attrition. As people retire over the next three years from both civilian and military jobs and in other areas that sequestration will affect, let’s not take an ax and cut off our relevant resources,” said Walorski whose district, centered on South Bend covers much of central northern Indiana.

“As people (leave those jobs), we’ll have a better handle on ways to save money and won’t have to bring such an urgent stop to what we’re doing. We’re in a very precarious situation and it’s a dangerous position to put the country in.”

Obama also mentioned climate change Tuesday night, promising actions to lower the nation’s carbon emissions. Walorski believes such efforts would represent an additional tax on small businesses that are the nation’s economic backbone.

“Small business cannot handle any more taxes, regulations, or anything else that would stifle the opportunity to grow jobs. This is another example of an onerous tax and system that will continue to choke jobs out of this country,” she said.

In recognition of the legislative gridlock that has gripped Washington, Obama Tuesday night threatened executive action to push through his environmental and economic policy changes, which is something that Walorski believes American voters do not want.

“I really don’t think that’s what Americans are looking for. We need a step-by-step approach with this Congress — and we can do this. The freshman class came ready to work. We came ready to sit down and work across the aisle for common ground so we can continue to move our country forward with commonsense solutions,” she said.

Walorski is one of a group of women that was supported by Maggie’s List, a political action committee whose goal is to help elect conservative women to Congress. She believes efforts such as Maggie’s List can help close the gender gap in Congress and give Republicans a stronger hand in Washington as well.

“The thing I like about Maggie’s List is we’re about small government, building grassroots support and keeping a strong defense and a strong military. I appreciate their like-mindedness and (belief) that women can make a significant difference in Congress,” she said. “We’re paying the same for groceries and gas and are in the same boat when it comes to providing good, solid jobs, a good national security and a secure nation in which to raise our families.

“There’s a lot to relate to as a woman in Congress, as we’re multitaskers. We do this all the time.”

U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski, one of the rising conservative women political leaders in Washington, Wednesday criticized the big government solutions laid out by President Barack Obama in his State of the Union address.